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GUATEMALA CITY - GUATEMALA
Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as
Guatemala or, informally, Guate) is the capital and largest city of
Guatemala.
Population estimates for Guatemala City range from 1 million to over 2.5
million people. The city is located in a mountain valley in the south
central part of the country; this can sometimes cause air pollution to stay
concentrated in the city.
History
Within the confines of modern Guatemala City is the ancient Maya city of
Kaminaljuyu. Kaminaljuyu dates back some 2,000 years, and is known to have
traded with distant Teotihuacan in central Mexico. The center of Kaminaljuyu
was located a short distance from the older part of Guatemala City, and in
the late 20th century the city grew around the ruins (and in some cases over
some of the outlying ruins before they were protected). The central
ceremonial center of Kaminaljuyu is now a park within the city.
In Spanish colonial times this was a small town with a monastery called El
Carmen, founded in 1620. The capital of Spanish colonial Central America was
moved here after an earthquake destroyed the old capital Antigua Guatemala
in 1775, and resulted in a great expansion of the city.
Features
Guatemala City is the economic, governmental, and cultural capital of the
Republic, as well as the largest metropolis in all Central America. In
addition to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, and shops, the city has
some 30 art galleries and museums (including some fine collections of Pre-Columbian
art). There are 5 universities, including the Universidad de San Carlos, the
third oldest university in the New World.
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